Category: 1920’s Fragrances

Nuit de Noel (Caron 1922) is a pungent sort of jasmine rose… The oakmoss is given carte blanche and it plays with a memorably smoky, woody, almost old-book-dusty sort of amber. I think this fragrance is kind of punchy, pretty intense and definitely filled with deep emotion… And while other florals aren’t listed beyond ylang…

Resinous, sugar-coated carnation, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, rose and violet mix gloriously in this Caron concoction (Caron 1927). It smells like an actual garden (even with a touch of dirt) from a honey-hued dream. But it’s not a quiet floral and the sillage that wafts about seems almost edible. Delightful! Top notes: carnation and rose. Middle notes:…

Vintage vanille acts like a toasted, syrupy coating over every note. This fragrance is very sweet. Musk and sandalwood only add to the sweetness, although they add depth. But ultimately this is a floral – a sugary floral – with an emphasis on a very pretty rose. And while the indulgent, honey dipped beauty is…

Actually at first I wasn’t sure I would like this fragrance (Jean Patou 1925) at all. It starts out a bit gruff and almost overly green… But in the proceeding moments it’s sort of like Henri Almeras married the sparkling, Art Deco, edgy, powdery beauty of Chanel No. 5 to something akin to what would…

Imagine all the honeyed warmth of a vintage Schiaparelli combined with genuine strawberries and cream and you have Amour Amour (Jean Patou 1925). Yes! There truly is a strawberry note in this old beauty… and it’s nothing like the recent varieties. It’s almost threatening actually… Why threatening? Well, my dears, because it smells real. It’s…

How do you properly review this iconic beauty? It’s near impossible. And, shockingly, I haven’t tried yet. But now I’ll say that in a word Chanel Cuir de Russie (Chanel 1924) is: remarkable. Really, the very animalic leather note is downright scandalous, especially given the way it plays with the sharp, cigarette-like smoke. And the…

Of course I can’t help but be reminded of Chanel No 5 when I smell Ernest Beaux’s historic Le No 1. for Rallet (Rallet 1913 & 1923) but I am also reminded of Coty L’Aimant and Le Galion Sortilège. Le No. 1 in the formula I managed to procure is creamy and peppered with florals…

The current eau de parfum of Chanel No. 5 (Chanel 1921) is actually a bit different than the old edp (no surprise there I suppose). It’s lighter, sweeter and sadly maybe has a little less depth in my opinion. Frankly it reminds me more of the vintage eau de cologne than the vintage parfum….